Games make one of the best sort of Christmas presents, in my humble opinion anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I have no objections to socks and aftershave, after all, even useful things have their place; but there’s nothing quite like watching a kid’s face light up when they get a good game, especially one that they have been waiting for. There are loads of games around, from board games all the way to online games, but the best gift always depends on who is going to receive it.
So, what games look like being a success this Christmas? Well, according to what some of my friends are saying, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a must-have and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition is going to be just massive. I’m not really into that sort of game, but something like The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks would go done just great in our house at the moment. Arthur’s really getting into his DS games at the moment, and it would make a change from Super Mario and Sonic.
Of course, it’s always worth keeping online games in mind. Ok, they don’t look a good under the tree, but you can download new games any time you want and play to your heart’s content. Games like Emily’s Holiday Season or Zuma’s Revenge (I’ve spent many hours playing that one). It’s it grand to have so much to choose from?
My family recently unearthed our Sega Genesis and once again we can not get enough of Sonic The Hedgehog. We have a pretty diverse collection of Sega games, but this one always seems to rise to the top. As far as the ‘fun factor’ goes, I’d easily stack it up against a fair percentage of my PS2 library. I don’t know much about the ports, except to say that Sonic has been made available on the Playstation, the Xbox, and even made portable for the Game Boy Advance. I haven’t played any of these, but the reviews I have seen are fair, at best. So, proceed with caution.
Maybe its true that you can’t improve upon perfection. The cartoony goodness of the frenetic hedgehog brings a smile to my face without fail. The way he zips along his path, snatching up rings is something straight out of a roadrunner cartoon. And on those occasions where he gets zapped by an enemy or a set of spikes, he flails his limbs, but gets right back into the fray again.
I have never completed Sonic, but that doesn’t make the game any less addictive. There’s the constant quest to collect 100 rings in an attempt to extend game time. There’s the challenge to find all of the secret short cuts and bonuses. And the boss battles with the evil Doctor Robotnik is just tons of fun. Maddening at times. But fun, none the less. If you have this game tucked away somewhere, you owe it to yourself, to dust off the Genesis and have another go. I promise you, its just as much fun the second, third, and fourth time around.